Real Madrid becomes La Liga’s NY Yankees

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Well, I guess Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is proving just how deep he is willing to reach into the wallet in order to grab the club’s 32nd La Liga championship, huh? After coming up short to FC Barcelona in last year’s title match, Perez has gone out and spent a staggering $228.6 million to land two of the world’s most skilled futbol talents.

According to ESPN.com, Manchester United has accepted a $131.6 million offer for forward Christiano Ronaldo, which will make him the most expensive player in history and complete his “dream” of moving to Madrid. The news comes only days after Perez agreed to pay $97 million in order to bring AC Milan’s Kaka to the Bernabeu.

Paying for top talent is nothing new for Perez, La Liga’s version of George Steinbrenner, after his previous stint as Madrid president saw him land Ronaldo, David Beckham, Luis Figo, and Zinedine “The Human Headbutt” Zidane.

But like any other huge paycheck, the money comes with expectations and anything short of a 32nd championship will be thought of as a huge failure.